Suspects burglarized several classrooms in the West and East buildings at KHS around 3:30 a.m. June 20. Seventeen iMac computers, that investigators know of, were taken from multiple classrooms. The suspects broke into the classrooms by smashing in windows.
“We do not know exactly how many people. We know there were at least five involved, but probably more,” Mike Bales, director of safety and security for the Kirkwood School District said.
If the computers are not recovered by the beginning of the school year they will be replaced, and the technology department will take care of the replacements, Bales said.
“We are in the process now of trying to develop information, work on leads, try to figure out who may have been responsible and to see if we can recover the computers,” Bales said.
KHS Resource Officer Chad Walton, the Kirkwood Police Department and Bales are working together on the investigation. They have discussed some opportunities and options to possibly raise security at KHS and to look at what, why and how the break-in occurred.
“It’s upsetting that people would break into not only my classroom, but the school,” Reza Behnam, English teacher, said. “Even more so because I think it was an inside job.”
Behnam had two desktop computers and a set of speakers stolen from his classroom. He said the desktop had all of his lesson plans on it, which makes it more difficult to prepare for the upcoming year.
There are ideas to better secure KHS, Walton said.
“There have definitely been some discussions and some options looked at,” Bales said. “Hopefully we can address and put them into play.”
Theft has always occured at KHS, but the items stolen in the past were of lesser value than the iMacs taken in the burglary.
“This kind of theft is different than someone who has an iPod stolen,” Bales said. “It is bigger in magnitude.”
Kirkwood Police Department is not releasing whether or not the suspects were caught on camera, but the security cameras did help in the investigation.
“We are thankful we had video cameras. The video cameras benefited us in this investigation,” Bales said.
If anyone has any information on the break-in please contact St. Louis Regional Crimestoppers Tip Hotline 866-371-TIPS (8477), or Kirkwood Police, 822-5858.
